Permeable pavement

Permeable pavement are specially designed driveways, patios or paths that allow stormwater to soak into the ground.

On this page

What is permeable pavement?
Benefits
Rebate eligibility and amount
Requirements
How to calculate your permeable pavement area
Examples of permeable pavements
Resources
Application and claim forms

What is permeable pavement?

Permeable pavement/pavers are specially designed hard surfaces that allow water to soak into the ground. There are a wide variety of permeable surface options, including porous asphalt, pervious concrete, permeable interlocking concrete pavers, permeable grout, and structurally reinforced grass and gravel. These surfaces can be driveways, parking lots, patios, walkways, and other hardscaped surfaces.

Benefits

Reduces winter maintenance. Permeable surfaces are less prone to icing, reducing the need for sand and salt. When temperatures warm up, water melts and soaks into the ground.
Gives off less heat compared to regular concrete and asphalt, which lowers surface and surrounding area temperatures.
Improves property drainage because it holds more water than a typical lawn.
Helps prevent sewer backups and flooding during heavy rain by slowing down and reducing the amount of stormwater entering the drainage system.

Rebate eligibility and amount

Eligibility

Single-family residential
Multi-family residential
Industrial, commercial, and institutional

Amount

$11 per metre squared of directly connected impervious area (DCIA)

Note: The RainWise rebate program is not retroactive. Projects completed before the application is approved are not eligible for the rebates.

Requirements

To receive a rebate for permeable pavement, the following requirements must be met:

Replace an area that was previously hardscaped (e.g. concrete or asphalt).
Must be installed by a contractor certified by the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI) or a manufacturer approved contractor (ex. authorized Belgard contractor, certified Techno-Bloc contractor).
Note: ICPI is now known as the Concrete Masonry and Hardscape Association.
Must be a permeable concrete or asphalt product, interlocking concrete pavers with permeable jointing mortar/permeable grout, or structurally reinforced grass or gravel.
Must have a bedding layer and a rock base layer, or equivalents.
Must slope away from building foundations.
Must be sized to manage at least 75% of the directly connected impervious area as calculated in the permeable pavement sizing tool.
Must have an approved City of Edmonton development permit for driveway expansion and/or change of driveway materials prior to beginning construction.
Must not contradict the City of Edmonton Drainage Bylaw. Here is some relevant information from the bylaw related to the release of water:

Roof and foundation drainage from a property is not permitted to be discharged:
- onto a pervious ground surface within one (1) meter of the building;
- within 150 mm of an adjacent lot;
- within 150 mm of a City of Edmonton right-of-way (ROW);
- to a location where the water has the potential to adversely impact slope stability, unstable ground, a ravine; or
- to a location or in a manner that causes or could cause nuisance, hazard or damage.

Make sure that you have all of the necessary photos and documents so that we can efficiently process your application and claim.

View guidelines for filling out your application.

Application form requirements

Before photos
Design sketch
Directly connected impervious area (DCIA)
Permeable pavement sizing tool (one for each individual permeable pavement installation)

Multi-family, industrial, commercial and institutional customers if available, please include:

Storm servicing plans
Lot grading plans

Claim form requirements

Photos:

Base preparation
Completed work
Itemized invoice from an Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI) certified professional or manufacturer approved contractor
Copy of approved City of Edmonton development permit for driveway expansion and/or change of materials.
Note: ICPI is now known as the Concrete Masonry and Hardscape Association.

Keep all project related receipts. EPCOR reserves the right to request project-related receipts for all RainWise projects to verify project completion and ensure program compliance.

How to calculate your permeable pavement area

Use the Permeable Pavement Sizing Tool
Refer to the Alberta Clean Runoff Action Guide: Permeable Pavement
Calculate based on how big your permeable pavement area needs to be to store the runoff generated from your directly connected impervious area (DCIA)
Aim to capture 100% of the runoff generated. If your permeable pavement project contains a rock reservoir layer, you may direct additional runoff to the area (e.g. from your roof through a downspout). If your permeable pavement project does not contain a rock reservoir layer, no additional runoff may be directed to the area.

Example project: replace concrete driveway with permeable pavers
A property is planning to replace their concrete driveway with permeable pavers that have a rock reservoir layer.

Their driveway area is 50 m².
Runoff from the entire 50 m² garage roof area is being redirected through a downspout onto the installed permeable pavement.
The total DCIA for the project is 100 m² (50 m² roof area + 50 m²driveway area).
In this example the driveway area is included in the DCIA determination because the area being replaced with permeable pavers was previously impermeable.

In this case, the applicant would receive a $1,100 rebate ($11 per m² of DCIA).

Examples of permeable pavements

Resources

Application and claim forms

The rebate process has two steps. First, apply for approval before starting your project. Then, once approved and project is finished, submit your claim to receive your rebate.

Front view of a blue single‑storey home with a simple lawn and minimal landscaping before the RainWise yard transformation.

Application formFill out this form before you start your project. We need to approve your project first so it qualifies for the rebate.

Front yard of a blue single‑storey home transformed with lush plants, ornamental grasses, and sustainable landscaping features.

Claim formFill out this form after your project has been approved and fully completed.

Questions?

Your questions and feedback are important to us.

Contact EPCOR

Email: rainwise@epcor.com